Mission

The Longwood Gardens High School Summer Internship Program, a collaborative program with selected regional high schools, serves as a training ground for students to learn about horticulture and develop good work skills leading to a career in horticulture. The training during eight weeks of the summer requires the interns to be punctual, self-motivating, and work cooperatively with peers and supervisors.

The interns experience daily hands-on learning and participate in weekly field trips or lectures, often with the College Intern, International Gardener, and Professional Gardener Program students.

The program philosophy focuses on utilizing the vast resources of Longwood Gardens to develop in students a desire to learn and strive for a high level of quality and professionalism in horticulture.

Statement of Goals

• Support and reflect the Mission Statement and Principles of Longwood Gardens, the will of Pierre S. du Pont and the values and decisions of the Board of Trustees and the management staff.
• Provide a positive environment for learning, understanding, and experiencing horticulture, and for developing a positive work ethic and good safety habits.
• Use Longwood Gardens as a training ground for students to learn about horticulture.
• Spark a career interest in horticulture.
• Help students achieve their potential and become life-long learners.
• Enable students to gain valuable work and career skills including punctuality, self-motivation, working with peers and supervisors.
• Expose students to daily hands-on learning and a wide range of horticultural activities including workshops, educational sessions, and field trips.
• Encourage ethnic diversity in horticulture.
• Work with local schools to address the needs for horticultural training.